Gamut Trail SXC Chainguide

“Tested: Gamut Trail SXC Chainguide”

Review by Fred Robinson // Photos by Ian Collins

Gamut lives up to its name's definition by providing a full range of chain retention systems for almost every discipline of off road cycling. Recently, Gamut released the Trail SXC guide, which is designed around the 1X drivetrain platform that more and more riders are running these days. We first gave you a sneak peek of the Trail SXC guide back in early January, and now that we've had the chance to give it a proper go-around, it's time tell you guys how it fared.

Gamut Trail SXC Guide Highlights

32 to 40 tooth chainring range

SRAM XX1 / X01 compatible, as well as all other 1X drivetrains

Polyurethane slider

Aluminum backplate

Weight: 52g for BB mount, 54g for ISCG05 (claimed)

MSRP: $59.99

Initial Impressions

With a claimed weight of just under two ounces (54 grams), this chain-guide felt feather light when we pulled it out of the box. A problem we've seen with other super-light guides like this was that the back-plate was so minimal it would flex and chain-drops would remain an issue, but since the Trail SXC is out of harm's way and the guide block completely encloses the chain, this shouldn't be the case with this particular guide.

Installation was simple and the guide was easily centered over our chainring using two of the provided spacers between the back-plate and ISCG tabs on each mounting bolt. Pedaling the bike in the stand provided no evidence of rubbing or any additional noise from the guide, regardless of what gear was engaged, including both the high and low extremes.

On The Trail

During our time on the Trail SXC guide it did exactly what it's supposed to do. We experienced zero chain-drops. The guide runs extremely quiet and added no drag nor irritation to our rides which is a bonus. There are few things worse than a noisy guide on a long grind of a climb. All in all, the guide performed exactly as advertised with no issues during our time on it.

Long Term Durability

The only possible issue we could think of in terms of durability were the rubber bits used to quiet down the chain-slap on the top roller, but during our time running the guide they have held up fine. Should they ever need replacing sometime down the line, they should be very cheap and super easy to swap. Even if they do wear out or tear off, that would not interfere with the effectiveness of the guide due to its enclosed design. Otherwise, the rest of the guide exhibits no major weaknesses and barring major impact with protrusions of nature, we can't see what else would fail, nor why.

Things That Could Be Improved

One thing we would have liked to have seen is mounting tabs for an optional taco-style bash guard. The added security of a top-only guide such as the Trail SXC with the optional protection of a bash guard would make this a go-to for lots of users out there looking to complete their aggressive trail bike build without the added drag/noise of a lower roller or guideblock. Then again, not everyone needs the added bash protection (Gamut does also make a version of this guide with a lower roller, called the Trail S, but it too lacks a taco).

What's The Bottom Line?

With the new 1x11 narrow/wide systems out there, guide-less chain retention has drastically improved over previous setups. Without a guide of any sort, SRAM's own X-Sync chainring technology has yielded only 2-3 legitimate chain drops during more than a year of our testing. That being said, chain-drops can obviously still happen, and in some situations one untimely incident could be the difference between first and last place. In situations like that we can see why you'd want the added security of a simple top-only guide such as the Trail SXC, which worked flawlessly during our test. At just 52 grams it's a lightweight addition that can almost guarantee you'll never drop a chain.

For the everyday trail rider, we hope to see a similar option with added bash protection in the future.

About The Reviewer

Fred Robinson, a.k.a. "Derf," has been on two wheels since he was two years old. He picked up a mountain bike in 2004 and started racing downhill in 2006. He has seen moderate success racing CAT 1 but focuses his efforts on building, maintaining and riding his local trails. He's deceptively quick for a bigger guy and likes steep, fast trails where he can hang it off the back of the bike. As a SoCal native he mostly rides trails covered with loose, traction-less turns and sharp, immovable rocks. Besides downhill, he rides trail bikes, road, and also enjoys the occasional dirt jump session. He is currently a student at UCSD and a wrench at a local bike shop.